James Stewart (solicitor)

James Stewart (born 1964 in Strabane, Northern Ireland), is a solicitor, who acts for celebrities in high-profile/high value divorce cases.

The son of a County Tyrone farmer, Stewart was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution in County Londonderry, the University of Essex and the College of Law, Chester.

Legal career

Stewart qualified as a solicitor in 1990, was accredited by Resolution as a specialist family lawyer in 1999. A year later he was appointed partner and head of the family department at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain.In 2003 he was the only lawyer to be profiled in the "On the Verge" series of the Observer magazine . [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2003/apr/20/features.magazine17 Observer] ] He became a partner at Manches LLP in 2006, shortly after being elected as a Fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML), a worldwide association of divorce lawyers. [ [http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.insidedivorce.com/uploads/images/website/James-Stewartweb.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.insidedivorce.com/divorce-help/InsideDivorcecom-rates-James-Stewart-partner-Manches-LLP/%3Fstage%3DA5D0E3C493500B427E453CDBDD04B1F2%26subject%3DA5CFC995008CB82C7D8D0CE19DE54FC7&h=376&w=250&sz=9&hl=en&start=1&um=1&usg=__tBJL9rqho1dVCkGdA5O4YjZcw_c=&tbnid=YZF_zap5JySSAM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=81&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djames%2Bstewart%2Bmanches%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG Inside Divorce] ]

He has acted on a number high-profile divorce cases involving members of Pink Floyd and INXS, has represented clients including "Dynasty" actress, Emma Samms, Pricilla Waters (in her divorce against Roger Waters) and Julie Le Brocquy, producer of BAFTA award winning "Osama". Stewart also successfully represented Glory Annen Clibbery in the landmark family/Human Rights Act 1998 case of Clibbery v Allan (2002), where he won at first instance [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1383256/Judges%27-ruling-allows-Ivan-Allan%27s-mistress-to-publish-court-secrets.html Telegraph] ] and on appeal. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1791147.stm BBC News] ] He also acted for the successful claimant, Kerry Cox, in the widely publicised cohabitation case of Cox v Jones in 2004. [ [http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_m_z/janet_street_porter/article44782.ece "Independent"] ] More recently he acted for the successful mother in the case of Re: C (A Child: Financial Provision) [2006] , where his client achieved a capital fund of £2million, the highest award of its kind in England. [ [http://www.manches.com/news/news.php?id=156] ]

In 2003 Stewart became one of the first solicitors in England to train in Collaborative Family Law, a new non-confrontational approach towards alternate dispute resolution in family law.In 2007 he co-founded the Central London Collaborative forum, which aims to bring this form of dispute resolution to "big money" and celebrity divorces. [ [http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=129162&d=415&h=417&f=416 The Lawyer] ] Stewart writes extensively on International family law [{http://www.legal500.com/c/london/private-client/family Legal 500] ] , his articles on Anglo-Russian divorce have appeared in "The Times" [ [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article1536651.ece Times Online] ] , The Lawyer [ [http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=134212 The Lawyer] ] and the Russian Investment Review [ [http://www.russiainvestors.com/archive/vol4no2.html Russian Investment Review] ] [ [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=425862&in_page_id=1773&ico=Homepage&icl=TabModule&icc=picbox&ct=5 Recognition of foreign marriage, "Daily Mail"] ] [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/legal/article726587.ece Trading places, "The Times"] ]

Personal life

Stewart lives in Covent Garden, London. He is a supporter of the peace building charity, Co-operation Ireland. [ [http://www.cooperationireland.org/?q=aboutus/whoweare Co-operation Ireland] ]

References

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External links

* [http://www.manches.com/people/lawyer.php?id=272 Manches Bio]
* [http://www.iaml.org/members_profile.asp?Europe=1 IAML Profile]
* [http://www.legal500.com/firms/2198/offices/351/lawyers/65194 Legal 500 Profile]